Who will guard Kobe? Rookie Courtney Lee will likely get his shot at the Black Mamba in the beginning, provided Lee is in the starting lineup. Otherwise, when Mickael Pietrus is in the game, he will no doubt be regarded as the ‘Kobe Stopper’. How well he can stop Kobe is debatable, but my guess is Pietrus will do a better job than Ruben Patterson ever did. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Hedo Turkoglu or J.J. Redick get some cracks at Kobe here and there, but it probably won’t end well for them. Can Andrew Bynum step up his game against Superman? If Bynum can, it could very well be a short series. An aggressive and interested Bynum could spell foul trouble for Dwight, and we all know while backup center Marcin Gortat can... [Read more]

Clemson junior guard Terrence Oglesby will not be returning to college next year to drain thirty footers in guy’s faces like it’s a walk in the park.  Instead he’ll be in Europe, firing up jumpers left and right I’m sure. Clemson coach Oliver Purnell’s head must be aching right about now.  From what I’ve read, Oliver didn’t see this coming at all, so it’s definitely a stunning blow for the program. 92 three point makes will be a lot to replace at Clemson, but I’m sure which ever European team signs him will absolutely adore him.  Hopefully the team decides to pay him, and on time, because it’s not always a sure thing that foreign teams will pay on time, if at all (read Paul... [Read more]

The officials have utterly stunk during these playoffs.  Most of these NBA official’s 09 playoff performances make Ed Hochuli’s mistake ridden 08 season seem minute and even run of the mill. And Ed made a ton of bad calls this past NFL season.  Just ask the San Diego Chargers. So can the NBA refs settle on what is considered a flagrant foul and what is not? There needs to be some consistency, right now it’s totally up in the air.  Might as well flip a coin. And could the refs be a little less quick to call technical fouls? Look at Joey Crawford wrong and he'll give you a technical (Image:Newscom)   It’s the playoffs, intensity has swelled and player’s are extra emotional, the refs should give them a bit... [Read more]

Man I love NBA playoff basketball! Three Conference finals games, three barnburners. Though, either Western Conference team could very easily be up 2-0 right now.  Both took turns making major bone headed plays at the end of a game. Game 1 What was Kenyon Martin thinking fouling Kobe Bryant, basically giving the Lakers two points.  Kenyon, don’t reach! Anthony Carter, pass fake or something!  No lobs! And apparently Carter also made another mistake shortly thereafter by not playing sufficient enough defense on Kobe (I was going to give him a pass on this, he’s giving up about 5 inches on Kobe). Game 2 Lakers were careless with the ball and didn’t come up with enough of the loose balls either.  The refs screwed them... [Read more]

The Nuggets showed NBA nation last night something that hasn’t been seen from them in a long time. DEFENSIVE INTENSITY. Thing is, Denver’s been doing it much of the season.  But they can score on you so quickly, it often gets overlooked. Billups was at it, Dahntay Jones was at it—no surprise there. Nene and Kenyon Martin were throwing their chiseled bodies around like they were the Bad Boys. Martin, especially, is always going to get his worth when fouling,  not a lot of And 1’s via a Martin foul. Carter, Smith and Andersen off the bench played like the spark plugs that they are. Birdman is becoming a Denver legend, yes? One performer really cemented himself in my eyes as a legitimate superstar. Carmelo Anthony.  ... [Read more]